UPPER DEERFIELD TWP. — At invitation by the Upper Deerfield Township Environmental Commission, three experts presented on “What’s Polluting Our Lakes?” at a workshop held at the Edgar Joyce Senior Center on Tuesday evening.

“It’s everyone’s problem; we all have to be a part of the solutions,” said Matt Blake of the American Littoral Society. “It takes a variety of land uses — this is not simple stuff.”

Blake, along with AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassador Philip Arsenault and Salvatore Mangiafico, Environmental and Resource Management Agent of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Salem County, discussed common problems of lakes in the Upper Cohansey Watershed, as well as their many causes, implications and potential solutions to these issues.

According to Blake, land uses in the 105-square-mile Upper Cohansey Watershed are broken down as 72.7 percent agriculture, 7.4 percent urban, 7.2 percent wetlands and 11.4 percent forest, the understanding of which gives environmental protectors clues to identify problems.

“When it rains, stormwater flows over land, carrying these pollutants that contaminate waterways, lakes, drinking water and the sea....It is the major cause of nutrient overloading and contamination in all U.S. waterways.”

Arsenault said pollution can accelerate eutrophication, or the aging of a lake through the accumulation of nutrients, sediments, silt and organic matter, which is marked by increased algal growth, increased rooted aquatic plant growth, lower dissolved oxygen concentrations, murky water, odor and fish kills.

He also introduced invasive plant species which thrive in an overly nutrient-rich environment to make water access difficult, create mosquito-breeding areas, cause unpleasant smells and basically take over a lake.

Mangiafico, who holds a PhD in soil science, presented local water pollution issues from an academic, data-driven perspective, including research and recommendations through the Rutgers Upper Cohansey Restoration Plan, released in 2009 with approximately 18 months of data.

In preparation of this plan, samples were collected at 10 stations on the Upper Cohansey Watershed and assessed for total phosphorus (TP), fecal coliform bacteria, total suspended solids (TSS) and nitrogen. The number of samples exceeding water quality standards in each of these parameters varied for each source; however, the results enabled the Rutgers team to produce recommendations with implementation strategies based on Total Maximum Daily Load, or sources and evaluations of what each body of water can effectively handle.

Furthermore, Rutgers plans to use a 319(h) Nursery Education Grant, or federal grant passing through the state Department of Environmental Protection, beginning this year to target phosphorus and total suspended solids in what Mangiafico called a “progressive, responsive industry” that has an incredible influence in the area and state.

To these recommendations, Blake added supporting local planning, open space protection and habitat restoration; certifying private properties as Backyard Habitats through the National Wildlife Federation and supporting further studies.

The crowd asked targeted questions after the presentations, touching on personal, local and broader issues, which the panel responded to with collaborative discussion.

“It’s helpful to hear some of the same stuff in different ways,” commented Caroline Mulford Owens of the Upper Deerfield Township Environmental Commission.

“We’re fortunate to have these people here working for the good of our environment.”